One Special Night: Take a Chance, #2

By Caridad Piñeiro

ONE SPECIAL NIGHT

A New Adult Erotic Romance novella from
NY Times and USA Today Bestseller
Caridad Pineiro

He never expected that on one special night his life would change forever . . .

It's been nearly six months since Tommy de Salvo’s fiancée cheated and left him in the midst of wedding preparations because up-and-coming businessman Tommy was all work and no play. The last thing Tommy wants or needs is to be attracted to another woman who won’t be around for too long.  A woman just like Navy Corpsman Jasmine Reyes.  She’s rough, tough, and determined to go it alone, but Tommy knows that if he passes up this opportunity, he may regret it more than the loss of his fiancée . . .

She has ignored her needs for too long until now . . .

Jasmine “Doc” Reyes is both emotionally and physically scarred after her tour of duty.  Wounded in battle, all she can think about is rebuilding her life and continuing with the career that she’s dreamed about since she was a young child.  She has no time for rich sexy men who’ve never had a care in the world and wouldn’t understand her determination.  But Tommy’s charm is seductive and she knows that she has to explore the attraction, even if it’s only for this one special night . . .

• Language: English
• Publisher: Caridad Pineiro
• Release date: Aug 11, 2014
• ISBN: 9781501498930

Caridad Piñeiro

Caridad Pineiro is a transplanted Long Island girl who has fallen in love with the Jersey Shore. When Caridad isn’t taking long strolls along the boardwalk, she’s also a New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author with over a million romance novels sold worldwide. She is a founding member of the Liberty States Fiction Writers and has presented workshops at various writing organizations throughout the country. You can connect with Caridad at www.caridad.com.

Book preview

Chapter 1

It occurred to Tommaso de Salvo as he eyeballed the guests milling about on the beach in front of his family’s home that this could have been his wedding day.  Except that six months earlier, while  knee-deep in their wedding preparations, he’d caught his fiancée cheating on him with her personal trainer.  Apparently she'd thought he was spending too much time learning how to run the family business and not enough time with her.

He’d been shocked, disappointed, and relieved all at once. Valerie and he had been dating throughout college and during the year after when he’d been working to complete an MBA.  Some would have said the signs had been there all along. If he had to be honest with himself, he’d occasionally sensed that something was off in their relationship.  That Valerie had only been interested in the de Salvo money, but he hadn’t wanted to believe that.

Maybe he should have listened to what his gut had been telling him.

Don’t think about it, bro, said Jase Hart, his best friend and soon-to-be-brother-in-law.  He sidled up to Tommy as he stood by the makeshift altar that had been set up for his sister Nickie's wedding instead of his own.

Was it that obvious? he asked and faced his friend.

Jase was wearing his dress blue uniform and two weeks of Jersey Shore sun had helped eliminate some of the hospital pallor.  He’d been seriously wounded three months earlier, along with several members of his unit.

She was never the right woman for you, Jase said and reached up to smooth the tuxedo over Tommy’s shoulders.

You say that now –

Because if I’d said it before you'd have gotten pissed off at me. You know how stubborn you can be.

Yeah, you’re probably right, he admitted.  He was stubborn, determined, and loyal which only made Valerie’s betrayal all that much harder to handle.

When you meet the right woman, you’ll know it, Jase said with certainty.  His injuries hadn't dimmed his friend's resolve.  If anything, he'd become more determined.  As soon as Jase had gotten out of the Intensive Care Unit, he'd immediately asked Tommy and Nickie's über Old School Italian father for permission to marry his daughter.  Without missing a beat, he had then proposed to Tommy's older sister.  In the two short months since Nickie had accepted, the de Salvo and Hart families had planned the mother of all military weddings to occur during Jase's convalescent leave.

He glanced at his friend and there was nothing but determination on his features.  So when did you know you were in love with Nickie?

Jase laughed and shook his head.  You wouldn’t believe me if I told you, bro.

Seriously, Jase.  I want to know.  I need to know, he thought, not that he could ever trust another woman again.

When she turned sixteen and sprouted boobs, Jase said with a quick chuckle and a boyish grin.

He could only smile at his best friend since his humor was so infectious.  If you weren’t injured, I’d beat the crap out of you.  I thought you appreciated more than just my sister’s boobs.

Jase playfully nudged him.  Of course, I do, Tommy.  She’s got brains, beauty and lots more, but it was her boobs that got my attention.  Shit, you know how we were at fourteen.  All raging hormones.

Good thing you’re finally doing the right thing, he said, although he was still a little uneasy about the speed at which things were happening.  It had only been a year earlier that Nickie and Jase had finally gotten around to admitting their true feelings.

Jase had deployed shortly thereafter and now here they were, ready to commit to each other.  Ready to become man and wife for life.

Are you sure about this? he asked again, worried that his friend’s recent near death experience was somehow clouding his judgment.  Jase might be his best friend, but Nickie was his sister and he had to make sure she wouldn't be hurt.

His friend's entire attitude became dead serious. "Do you remember what you told me on graduation day when I was still hesitating about Nickie?  You said ‘Go big or go home.'  I went big and Nickie is home, Tommy.  I have no doubt about that."

He’d had few doubts about Valerie as well and look how that had ended.  The last thing he wanted for two of the most important people in his life was for things to go south only . . .

The chamber music quartet’s silence sent a signal to all gathered there and in seconds, the guests quickly hurried to take seats for the start of the ceremony.

He couldn’t linger any longer.  I’ll be back, he said and rushed off to take his spot in the wedding procession.

* * *

Jasmine Reyes was late.

First the train from New York City had been delayed by switch problems.  Then there had been no taxis when she had reached the station.  After pacing back and forth in front of the tracks for fifteen minutes, a cab had lazily rolled to a stop in front of her.  Now, after another twenty minutes of stop and go beach traffic, she was finally at Second Lieutenant Jason Hart’s wedding.

She’d barely had time to admire the gorgeous home when a member of the wait staff hurried her across a lawn where tables were set for the reception and down a short boardwalk to the beach.

Neat rows of chairs ran across the sand on either side of a bright white runner strewn with multi-colored flower petals.  Off to one side of the chairs, a chamber music quartet was just beginning to play some kind of march. The guests were all seated and craning their necks in her direction as she stood at the base of the boardwalk.

Shit, she thought as she realized she was in the way of the bridal procession getting ready to exit the home and head toward the altar set up at the far end of the beach.  Not to mention that with all attention turned toward her, any hope of making an inconspicuous entry was gone.

As she hurried toward the chairs, Jase noticed her arrival, dipped his head in greeting, and smiled.  He looked so much better than he had a month earlier when they both had finally been shipped stateside for their final weeks of recovery and convalescent leave.

She smiled back hesitantly and took a seat at the edge of the crowd, not sure if she should have come.  The spot on the end of the row would let her make a quick exit just in case things got a little too hard to handle.

She wasn’t quite ready to be out and about like Jase.  It had taken every fiber of courage in her body to put on this dress and leave her family’s small two floor walk-up in Spanish Harlem.  But she had formed a special bond with the lieutenant and his men during their recent assignment and a night from hell they all wanted to forget.

Unfortunately, she had the scars on her body and in her head to remind her each and every day of that night.

The murmur that swept over the crowd dragged her attention from Jase and those memories to the first couple in the bridal procession.

She sucked in a breath at the sight of

Reviews for One Special Night

[Jodi Aherns · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed getting Tommy’s story and seeing him get the hea he and Jasmin deserved